Automatic electric switch for cable-carrying drums



C. F. CUNO.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR CABLE CARRYING DRUMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1920.

1,388,452. Patented Au 23, 1921.

avwe/wtoz QQT/FJFQUZU UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR CABLE-CARRYING DRUMS.

Specification of Letters'latent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed May 8, 1920. Serial No. 379,750.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. CUNo, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Meriden,Connecticut, have i11- vented a new and useful Automatic Electric Switchfor Cable-Carrying Drums, of which th following is a specification.

y invention relates to an automatic winding device or drum upon whichmay be mounted an electric cable carrying at its outer end some form ofcurrent consuming device such as a cigar lighter, so-called, or a lamp,the construction being such that when the cable is fully wound on thedrum the currentthrough said cable will be cut ofl", and when said drumhas been partially unwound by the pulling out of the cable, said currentwill be turned on, or vice versa, de ending upon the desired conditions.

11 the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation somewhat diagrammatic in characterillustrating such parts as are essential to an understanding of myinvention, the drum and drum casing being shown slightly in perspective,one side of the casing being taken ofi.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the drum and casing slightly modified.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another modification.

Fig. 4 is an edge view partly in section of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5' is a view similar to showing another modification.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of certain parts shown in Fig. 5, said view beingfragmentaiiy and partly in section.

i 7 1s a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing another modification.

Fig. 8 is an edge view ofthe winding drum showing cable connections.

1 represents conventionally a current con suming device, for example, acigar lighter or a lamp. 2-2 represent the two side flanges of a drumwhich are insulated from each other. This drum is rotatable in asuitable housing 3 which is preferably open only at the front. Leadingfrom the drum out to the current consuming device 1 is a cable 4 ofcurrent conducting wires. One of these wires is in electrical connectionwith one side flange 2, while the other is in elec- Figs. and 3 tricalconnection with the side flange 2 The flange 2 carries a pinion gear 6which meshes with a lar e gear 7 suitably mounted in the housing. caringagainst the gear 7 is a brush 8. This brush 8 is carried by butinsulated from the housing 3. The brush 8 has a connector 9 leading to abattery 10'or other source of electrical energy. Leading from thebattery 10 to the housing 3 is a connector 11. 12 is a brush carried bythe housing 3 and bearing on the side flange 2*, so that the'flange 2"is always in electrical connection with one side of the battery 10. Theother flange 2 is insulated from the housing at all times. In thisparticular instance, the shaft 5 may be mounted in an insulating bushingin the adjacent side of the housing, such a bushing being indicated at13, Fig. 4. The gear 7 is also insulated from the housing althoughcarried thereby. 1.5 represents abushing of insulating material for theshaft of the gear 7.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the battery 10 is electricallyconnected on one side with the flan 2 and on the other side it isconnected wit the flange 2 through the medium of the gearing 7 and6. Tointerrupt the circuit, I provide an insulating piece 14 on the gear 7 inthe path of the brush 8. In the particular construction shown, when thecable 4 is fully wound on the drum and the current consuming device 1 isin its home or idle position, this insulating iece 14 will stand underthe"brush 8 and ence the circuit will be broken. When, however, thedevice has been pulled out and the drum has been turned to a sufiicientdegree, the insulating piece 14-will move away from the brush 8 allowingthe latter to make an electrical connection with a ,current carryingportion of the gear 7 and associated parts, thus closing the circuit.The degree to which the cable 4 must be drawnout to close the circuit,is predetermined by the length and position of the insulating piece 14,and this, of course, may be variedat will.

The drum may be of the self-winding type equipped with the usualself-winding sprin not shown, but well understood, an examp e of thesame being shown in my former Patent #1,208,504 dated Dec. 12, 1916, towhich reference may be had for a detailed showing of the drumconstruction with the two side flanges thereof insulated from eachother.

By this arrangement, the current will not accidentally remain on if thedrum does not fully rewind the cable, and hence, if the user does nothappen to take the pains to see that the consuming device 1 iscompletely restored to its home position after said current consumingdevice has been used, there will be no current loss because even in suchan event the cable may be sufficiently rewound to break the circuit.

I have shown herein several modifications of mechanisms which willoperate in the same fashion as the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, and I willdescribe the same briefly and without unnecessary reference to thefeatures of construction which may be in common to Fig. 1.

In Fig. 2 instead of providing a wheel to mesh with the gear 6 in theform shown in Fig. 1, I have shown a toothed rack bar 7 the teeth ofwhich mesh with the gear 6 so that the said bar acts as a circuit closerand opener. In this case, the insulating piece 14 functions as theinsulating piece 14 in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have formed the side flange 2 which corresponds tothe flange 2, in such a manner that its edge operates as a snail gearmeshing with the small gear 16 which is suitably insulated from thehousing and which carries on its face an insulating piece 1? (see Fig.4) which breaks the contact through the brush 8 which in turn is inelectrical connection with the battery through the wire 9. Obviously, asthe drum IGVOIVGS, the small gear 16 will be revolved to make and breakthe circuit.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the side flange 2 corresponds to the side flange 2shown in Fig. 1. In this instance, the flange is provided at 17 with atooth which will engage a toothed wheel 18 carried by the housing butinsulated therefrom, said tooth 17 advancing the wheel 18 one step ineach revolution of the drum. The wheel 18 has the usual insulating piece14 for coaction with the brush 8 so that the circuit will be opened andclosed by the rotation of the drum.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a further modification in which the gear 6 hasonly one tooth, the same being arranged to move the gear 19 one step ata time with each revolution of the drum. The gear 19 carries theinsulating piece 1'4 for the same purpose as before described.

There may be other forms of gear connection by which the same result maybe accomplished, but I have shown enough herein to-indicate the scope ofmy invention and the objects to be attained thereby.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic switch for drum wound current consuming devicescomprising a housing, a .drum carried thereby and including two spacedcurrent carrying flan es insulated from each other, an electric ca 1eincluding two conductors connected to said flanges respectively andarranged to be wound on sald drum, a switch for controlhug the currentto one of said flanges, said switch comprising a movable element mountedon said housing and geared to said drum, a spring contact bearingagainst said movable element, said movable element havinga portionthereof insulated in the path of said spring contact whereby when saidinsulated portion enga es said spring contact the current to said angewill be broken.

2. An automatic switch for drum wound current consuming devicescomprising a housing, a drum carried thereby and including twospacedcurrent carrying flan es insulated from each other, an electric ca leincluding two conductors connected to said flanges respectively andarranged to be wound on said drum, a switch for controlling the currentto one of said flanges, said switch comprising a movable element mountedon said housing and geared to said drum, a spring contact bearingagainst said movable element, said movable element having a portionthereof insulated in the path of said springcontact whereby when saidinsulated portion engages said sprin con-' tact the current to saidflange Wlll be broken, said insulated portion being in position to breakthe circuit when nearly all the cable is wound on the drum.

3. An antomatic switch for drum wound current consuming devicescomprising a housing, a drum carried thereby and including two spacedcurrent carrying flanges insulated from each other, an electric cableincluding "two conductors connected to said flanges respectively andarranged to be wound on said drum, a switch for controlling the currentto one of said flanges, said switch comprising a movable element mountedon said housing and geared to said drum, a spring contact bearingagainst said movable element, said movable element having a portionthereof insulated in the path of said spring contact whereby when saidinsulated portion engages said spring contact the current to said flangeWlll bG broken, said insulated portion being in position to break thecircuit when nearly all the cable is wound on the drum, and continuingto break said circuit until a predetermined length of said cable hasbeen unwound from said drum.

4. An automatic switch for drum wound current consuming devices,comprising a drum including two current carrying means insulated fromeach other, an electric cable including two conductors connected to saidcurrent carrying means respectively and arranged to be wound on saiddrum, said switch proper comprising a movable element mountedindependently of the drum but geared to said drum, and a s ring contactbearing against said movab e element, said movable element having aportion thereof insulated in the path of said spring contact, wherebywhen said insulated portion conducting portion and a non-conductingengages said spring contact the circuit will portion; and a contactbrush supported in- 10 be broken. dependently of the drum and arrangedto An automatic switch for a drum contact with both the conducting andthe 5 wound current consuming device, including non-conducting portionsof said movable a drum, a current carrying cord wound member dependingupon the position of the thereon, a movable member geared to the latter.drum to be rotated thereby and having a CHARLES F. CUNO.

